End of Year Activities

The countdown is on for many of us! Summer is almost here (3.5 days for me-eek)! And, it's the end of the month which means it's time for Weekend Warriors! This month, my fellow Weekend Warriors and I thought it was fitting to share our favorite end of year activities with you.

One of my favorite end of year activities is to task my students with painting a self portrait.

Another self portrait that is. I always have my students paint one during the first week of school. The portraits then hang in our classroom the whole year. But, it's super fun to have them paint another picture at the end of the year to see just how far their skills have come. And, the parents love them! They are definitely a keepsake item.

When
my students make their portraits, they use a black crayon to draw the
outline (or a Sharpie, it just depends on our crayon situation at this point in the year). Then,
they paint with watercolor. Tip: I like to use card stock instead of construction paper. It seems to handle the watercolor better.

Another fun end of year activity is to make some tie dye shirts! That is, if you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty. ;) It's an easy (but kind of messy) way to let your students have fun together during those last few days of school.

Have your students bring in a white t-shirt and get the fun started! Be sure to remind your students that they don't necessarily need to go out and buy a new white shirt for this. Most likely, your students have an old white shirt somewhere at home. Encourage them to bring those in, the dye will give the shirt new life (and the parents will be happy about not having to buy a new shirt).

TIP: Ask your health office to donate a few pairs of protective gloves. This will help protect your hands and nails from the dye.

Once the shirts are all dyed and washed, have the class wear their shirts on the same day!

I realize that working with dye isn't for everyone. So, if you prefer to stay nice and clean, then dress as a class the easy way! That is, decide on a theme and dress alike!

You can come up with lots of fun themes, but here are a few color theme suggestions:

Neon

Black and White (this one is easy because pretty much everyone has black and white in their closet)

Red, White, and Blue (Patriotic)

Or, you could go for a theme like one of these:

Hawaiian/Luau/Beach attire (minus the swimwear, of course)

Nerds (a fourth grade class did this one year and it was so cute)

Crazy socks

Thanks for stopping by today, friends! I hope you were able to grab an idea or two!

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I have always wanted to try making tie dye shirts. Our first grade has that tradition now... If they give it up, I'm taking over! I like your dress alike idea for a final class photo shoot! I love your ADORABLE self portraits too Aimee! The black crayon is such a smart idea. Thanks for sharing these fun activities!